Editorial: Education schemes going places
In the last several years, there has been a race in political circles to publicise or blow their own trumpets, as the case may be, regarding their work and achievements.
Tamil Nadu and its government can boast about being one of the frontrunner states in the field of education. It is not only a matter of pride but also a validation when the chief minister of a friendly neighbouring state says that his state will implement some of Tamil Nadu’s successful educational programmes. At an event in Chennai, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was inspired enough to announce the replication of four schemes relating to free breakfast for school children, a career-orientation and skills enhancement programme for college students, and financial assistance to girl and boy students to encourage enrolment in higher education.
In the last several years, there has been a race in political circles to publicise or blow their own trumpets, as the case may be, regarding their work and achievements. In fact, the UPA government and its prime minister, Manmohan Singh, did not go to town with the work done by them, and whatever publicity they gave was drowned in the orchestrated campaign unleashed by the India Against Corruption movement. The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi perfected the art of political communication so much so that there was a blurring of the lines between genuine outreach and unadulterated propaganda. The DMK government seemed to have learned its lessons and has been on an overdrive and is gradually building the momentum as the party heads to the crucial assembly elections in the coming year.
The DMK appears to have strategically chosen to prioritise educational achievements for showcasing, possibly having young voters in mind; many of them are first-time voters who tend to fall prey to the opposition’s propaganda blitzkrieg on social media. Also, in a state where education is valued, it could influence parents and others to look at the party in a favourable light. Secondly, compared to many BJP-ruled states, Tamil Nadu is clearly ahead of them in social and human development in general, and education in particular. It is widely believed that politically-motivated BJP has been trying to undermine the DMK government and, in the process, target its education system through National Education Policy, NEET, Hindi imposition, and a slew of other interventions. Moreover, it has been trying to create an impression in the minds of people and voters in particular that the so-called “double engine governments” in BJP-ruled states have been outperforming Tamil Nadu. The DMK has no other option but to challenge and counter that narrative if it were to win elections.
The larger issue, however, is the increasing centralisation of powers resulting in a top-down approach to planning and execution of various projects and schemes, which not only goes against the spirit of federalism but is also known to be counter-productive. In that context, states should be encouraged to come up with innovative schemes that can be viewed as pilot programmes to establish the proof of concept. Once validated, it can be replicated by other states after factoring in state-specific socio-cultural context, regional sensitivities, need and demand, and the state’s administrative capacity and resource mobilisation capability. To foster a spirit of collaborative federalism, the central government too can be magnanimous to not only celebrate successful schemes of different states but also scale them up for pan-Indian implementation. This was done in the past, and the country could return to national replication and adoption if all parties refrain from doing everything for electoral gains.
